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Case Study - Garage Conversion

Diane Vassallo loves the home she shares with her mother in Morden; it is convenient for her work and she has lots of friends in the neighbourhood.

But both Diane and her mother agreed they needed extra room for relations and visitors to stay. "My mother owns the home and didn't want to move, and I love it here as well," said Diane.

"We were looking at various ideas to extend the house and a friend first suggested the easiest solution would be to convert our garage into a bedroom, I wasn't sure if there would be room to have a really nice bedroom plus an ensuite with shower or how any of the plumbing would work," said Diane.

"Our house is in a good investment area and so any alterations we did needed to look very good to enhance the feel and value of the property. Adding an extra bedroom without an ensuite wasn't a sensible option."

However, when Diane started investigating, she discovered lots of problems she had never even considered and one of the major concerns was drainage. The drainage at her house was at the rear of the property and this meant it wouldn't be possible to rely on normal gravity drainage from the garage. At this point Diane began to worry that the project might just be too difficult and too costly to go ahead.

Fortunately one of Diane's neighbours is a professional builder, and he told Diane about the Dry-Deck 20 from Whale.

"That sounded perfect," said Diane. "Dry-Deck 20 has been designed specifically for showers in areas where gravity drainage won't work.

"I loved its modern technology and a lot of it made perfect sense once I understood more about it – for instance the Dry-Deck 20 automatically adjusts its flow rate to changes in the shower's flow rate. I also liked the fact that it can handle 20 litres of water a minute – so that meant I could choose pretty well from any modern mixer or power shower with no problems."

Once she had given the go ahead, Diane said everything worked out exactly as she had hoped, plus there were some extra benefits.

"Because it is a pump system, I was expecting a bit of noise when it was running; but the control unit and pump are totally concealed and cannot be heard; you really wouldn't know they were there," she said.

"Then, because it has been designed to work without a filter, it doesn't need any cleaning, and there are even valves included somewhere inside so that no odours can escape from the draining water.

"It really is a very clever system and has made all the difference to enabling the conversion. The builder said it was very easy to install, so he was happy – and even better, my mother has been using the bedroom and says it is all just perfect.

"I really couldn't have hoped for a better outcome."

Dry-Deck 20 is made by trusted pump specialist Whale. Their Product Manager Omar Beggs said "The system was an unique solution Ideal for for wetrooms where the drainage down pipe is remote from the shower and gravity drainage is not an option; or for loft conversions where height constraints apply and it is not desirable to raise the floor level.

"The Dry-Deck 20 is the perfect solution for all walk-in showers and wetrooms in difficult locations," he said. "It is like no other product on the market and interest from builders and architects is at an exceptionally high level. Wetrooms are here to stay and we are delighted this product is helping home owners meet their desire of putting to put a wetroom almost anywhere in the home".

The Dry-Deck 20 was suggested to Diane by Alex Bardock of TGB Homes of Redhill. "I first learned about the system at a building exhibition and was immediately impressed," said Alex. "I have used it in numerous projects since then. It is so easy to install and it has been hugely successful with clients."

Alex says architects he has worked with have also jumped at the Dry-Deck 20.

"It gives them such freedom and increased opportunities," said Alex. "Plus, because it is so cost-effective, it can be included in designs without breaking the bank. Best of all, it means that today, when people want to convert and extend rather than move, wetrooms can be included pretty well anywhere. "That really is a major step forward," he added.

Key Benefits

Flow rate up to 20 ltrs/min - ideal for mixers & power showers*

The flow rate of the Dry-Deck system automatically adjusts to changes in shower flow rate

No filter in waste system – no cleaning required

Valves integral to the pump prevent odours escaping from the drainage pipe

Quiet operation

* Check flow rate of shower to ensure that the maximum flow rate of the shower is less than 20 ltrs/min